Christmas traditions in Denmark

How to make a Danish christmas eve:

If you want to make an amazing traditional danish christmas eve, you have to…

Ingredients:

• Christmas Tree 1x
• Either a Duck or/and a Rib roast
• Christmas ornaments/decorations
• Potatoes
• Sugarcoated potatoes
• Red cabbage
• Brown sauce
• Christmas sweets
• Risalamande - rice pudding with vanilla, almonds and whipped cream
• Christmas cookies   
• Presentes / gifts
• A christmas star 1x
• Hymnbook
• Candles - for the tree
• Redwine
• Soda - for kids
• Christmas beer
• Guests
• Happiness

 

How to:

At first you decorate the tree, with the ornaments, candles and of course the star!

Then you place the presents underneath the tree.

About two hours before the guests arrive, you start making the food. Start with putting the meat in the oven and start boiling the potatoes.

When the meat is done you start making the sauce and sugar coat some of the potatoes. When everything is done you heat up the red cabbage.

Then you eat the delicious food with your guests, and when you are done with that you eat the risalamande that you’ve already made the day before.  

In the risalamande there will be a whole almond, and the one who gets that also gets a present.

When you are all done with eating you have to light the candles and dance around the tree while singing a lot of christmas hymns.

And then last but not least you open your presents while eating your christmas sweets.

And that is how to make a real traditional danish christmas!

Christmas food in Denmark

Vanilla wreaths are a delicious little thing like you get to the afternoon, as a snack.

Christmas schnapps is a schnapps, which you can get as a drink for a Christmas party or dinner to toast with.

Mulled wine and fritters are also an afternoon of food, that you can get as a little sneak.

Pork and red cabbage is something you can get for Christmas as a evening meal, which tastes REALLY good.

Roasted potatoes, brown sauce and is something you can get Christmas Eve with chips.

Soft drink is a drink which children can get Christmas Eve, that does not have alcohol in it.

Risalermance and cherry sauce is something you get on Christmas Eve for dessert, which is a whole almond in. As children end usually try and find so they can get a gift, because they have found the almond.

Pickled herring is a food that you get for lunch. Pickled herring imply, rye bread, curry salad and onions, the adult normally eat for lunch, the children don´t like it so much.

It is a calendar with chocolate in which you open a door every day up until Christmas Eve

A small cake that you eat if you feel like it

marcipangrise

it is a lump of marzipan to multiply like a little pig

It is a candy cane as children end up getting, when they are a little candy hungry

Kale is something you can get for dinner, but it is not very nice and eat if you do not eat it with something else.

Santa Claus - Danish variation

Santa Claus

Christmas has it’s origin in the christian beliefs, and as Denmark is a christian country by culture, but many danes aren’t very religious, christmas has become more of a cultural tradition than a christian holiday in Denmark. With the danish christmas tradition comes the iconic“Santa Claus” (or in danish “Julemanden” which directly translated means “christmas man”).  

Who is santa claus?

According the danish tradition Santa Claus lives in Greenland with his wife, reindeers and a whole lot of elves. According to the American tradition, he lives on the North Pole, and in Finland they believe that he lives in their country.

The idea of his looks is different from country to country, but in Denmark we identify him as a big chubby man with a red suit, a huge white beard and a red hat.

He is the most well-known character among children, and is combined with anything nice and sweet. He’s the idea of christmas spirit in one person.

What does he do?

Throughout the year children work on their christmas “wish-list” where they write what they want for christmas. Santa’s elves work every day of the year on making presents for the nice kids, following the wishes on their lists. Santa has a list of all the children in the world, but only the nice kids will receive a present. All the naughty kids will be given a piece of coal, to remind them of their bad behaviour throughout the year.

Different from the American tradition, where Santa comes in the night between December 24th and 25th to put the presents under the tree for the children to find in the morning, in Denmark he comes to visit in the evening.

On the evening of December 24th children put out “rice pudding” with butter and cinnamon in front of their door, as to make Santa come visit. Different from the danish tradition that he doesn't get “rice pudding” but cookies and milk instead.

He flies around in his sled with his 8 reindeer, (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph) on christmas eve, and visits all the children of the world. He lands with his reindeers, eats the rice pudding and lays gifts for the good children instead. Usually parents tend to get help from friends, who will dress up as Santa, to entertain and visit their children and give them their presents.

New Year’s Eve in Denmark

Usually, New Year’s Eve starts with a lovely meal, starting off with an appetizer, main course and a dessert. In Denmark, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with champagne and a marzipan ring cake topped with an icing made of sugar. Before the clock hits midnight (00:00), family and friends gather around the TV to hear the Queen’s New Year’s speech. This is a tradition and New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be the same without it.

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Few minutes before midnight we will step up on tables, chairs or whatever that are available. And then, when the clock hits midnight we all jump into the new year with joy and happiness, say cheers and wish each other a Happy New Year!

Also at 00:00 the fireworks will be set off and children will make shenanigans and the town centers will bubble with joy and expectations.

We can buy firework in Denmark from 15 to 31 December and we must apply it between 27 December an 1 January. But it’s forbidden to import fireworks from other countries to Denmark.

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